The present invention relates to program viewing regulation devices which are adapted to check whether a prohibition is laid against viewing a program and to prohibit viewing the program upon finding the prohibition, and television receivers equipped with the device.
In recent years, regulations called V-chip are to be formulated into a law in North America to prevent children from viewing television programs for adults which contain presentations involving violence or sexual expression. According to the V-chip regulations, it is required that viewing prohibiting information termed xe2x80x9cRATINGxe2x80x9d and relating to the age limit for viewing, wording, etc. be superposed for each program on the television signal in the 21st horizontal section of vertical blanking period in the second field of the signal (see xe2x80x9cEIA STANDARDxe2x80x9dEIA-608-1994 ELECTRONIC INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION).
In receivers for such television broadcast signals, the user manipulates the remote controller in advance to set RATING information relating to a particular program on which a prohibition is to be laid against viewing. The images of programs having RATING information corresponding to the set RATING information will not be displayed on the screen thereafter and can not be viewed even if such a program is selected by children.
FIG. 6 shows the RATING information setting frame 82 to be presented on the screen of the television receiver described for use in setting RATING information. The RATING information contained in the television broadcast signal is represented by L1 to L6 and A to F. L1 to L6 indicate viewing prohibition levels, and A to F indicate categories on which a prohibition is to be laid against viewing. The levels L2 to L6 are set, for example, according to the age; xe2x80x9cL2xe2x80x9d is a viewing prohibition level for children up to 14 in age, and xe2x80x9cL5xe2x80x9dis a prohibition level for children up to 7 in age. The age decreases gradually from L1 toward L6. As to the categories A to F, on the other hand, violence is represented, for example, by xe2x80x9cC,xe2x80x9d and wording by xe2x80x9cD.xe2x80x9d
The user manipulates the remote controller to display the RATING information setting frame 82 of FIG. 6 on the screen first, and further manipulates the controller to select levels for some of the categories to set RATING information.
With the conventional television receiver described, the user needs to select levels for some of the categories of the RATING information by manipulating the remote controller a plurality of times as stated above, hence the problem of a cumbersome procedure for setting the RATING information.
Further with the conventional television receiver described, the RATING information contained in the television signal is expressed by symbols such as xe2x80x9cL1xe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9cL6xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9cFxe2x80x9d, so that the user needs to understand what these symbols mean before setting. Thus there is the problem that the user is otherwise unable to set the desired RATING information.
Additionally even if the user understands the meanings of the symbols representing the RATING information before setting the information, the level set by the user as intended is likely to differ from the level actually realizing prohibition of viewing, with the resulting problem that children can not be reliably prohibited from viewing the program of the level contemplated by the user.
An object of the present invention is to provide a device for regulating viewing of programs which assures facilitated procedure for setting viewing prohibiting information such as the RATING information contained in the V-chip signal and which enables the user to set desired RATING information even if the user fails to understand the meanings of the symbols representing the prohibiting information, further enabling the user to reliably prohibit viewing of programs of a level intended by the user.
The present invention provides a program viewing regulation device which comprises:
a manual key to be manipulated for setting viewing prohibiting information,
memory means for storing viewing prohibiting information,
information processing means for extracting viewing prohibiting information from the video signal of a program being viewed when the manual key is manipulated and storing the extracted viewing prohibiting information in the memory means, and
control means operable when the viewing prohibiting information is stored in the memory means to check whether a prohibition is laid against viewing a program based on the stored viewing prohibiting information and viewing prohibiting information contained in the video signal of the program and to make it impossible to view the program upon finding the prohibition.
The present invention provides a television receiver having the program viewing regulation device.
The regulation device has an output terminal connected to a image display unit and a speaker unit. The programs are, for example, television broadcast programs, and the viewing prohibiting information is the RATING information contained in the V-chip signal.
When the user turns on the power supply switch of the television receiver, images of a program currently selected by the user are presented on the display unit, and the sound of the program is output from the speaker unit for the user to view the program. When the user depresses the manual key, for example, once upon judging that the program being viewed is of viewing prohibition level in this state, the information processing means extracts the RATING formation from the video signal of the program being viewed upon detecting the depression and stores the extracted RATING information in the memory means. In this way, the RATING information is set.
Accordingly, the user needs only to depress the manual key once as described above in setting the RATING information, hence a greatly facilitated setting procedure. Further when the user actually views a program and manipulates the manual key upon judging that the program is of viewing prohibition level, the RATING information of the program is extracted and set, so that the RATING information of intended level can be set by the user.
When the user thereafter selects a desired program, the control means checks whether a prohibition is laid against viewing the program based on the RATING information contained in the television broadcast signal of the program and the RATING information stored in the memory means, making it impossible to view the program upon finding the prohibition, or permitting viewing of the program upon finding no prohibition. Since the memory has stored therein the RATING information of the program actually viewed and judged to be of viewing prohibition level by the user, there will be no difference between the level set by the user and the level realizing prohibition of viewing, nor is it likely that a program of the viewing prohibition level contemplated by the user will be available for viewing.
More specifically, the device comprises a setting cancel key to be manipulated for canceling the setting of the viewing prohibiting information, and erase means for erasing the viewing prohibiting information stored in the memory means when the setting cancel key is manipulated.
When the user depresses the setting cancel key, for example, once to cancel the setting of the viewing prohibiting information according to this specific construction, the erase means erases the RATING information stored in the memory means upon detecting the depression. In this way, the setting of the RATING information is canceled. According, the user needs to depress the setting cancel key only once in canceling the set RATING information, hence a very simple cancellation procedure. With the set RATING information this canceled, the control means permits viewing of programs.
As another specific feature, the device comprises:
erase means for erasing the viewing prohibiting information stored in the memory in response to a command, and
setting-cancellation control means for commanding the information processing means to extract and store the viewing prohibiting information when the manual key is manipulated in a state ready for viewing programs, or for commanding the erase means to erase the viewing prohibiting information when the manual key is manipulated in a state not ready to view programs.
According to this specific construction, the user manipulates the manual key with the images of a program present on the image display unit and the sound of the program output from the speaker unit, whereon the information processing means starts to set the RATING information described in response to a command given by the setting-cancellation control means.
On the other hand, when the user manipulates the manual key with no images of a program presented on the image display unit and with no sound of the program output from the speaker unit, the erase means starts to cancel the setting of RATING information described in response to a command from the setting-cancellation control means.
As another specific feature, the device comprises:
erase means for erasing the viewing prohibiting information stored in the memory in response to a command, and
setting-cancellation control means for alternately commanding the information processing means to extract and store the viewing prohibiting information and commanding the erase means to erase the viewing prohibiting information, every time the manual key is manipulated.
According to this specific construction, the setting-cancellation control means gives a command alternately to the information processing means and to the erase means every time the user manipulates the manual key, thereby causing the information processing means to set the RATING information and causing the erase means to cancel the setting of the RATING information, alternately.
Further stated specifically, the device comprises a display key to be manipulated to display the setting of viewing prohibiting information, and image output means for outputting a setting frame signal for visually displaying the viewing prohibiting information stored in the memory means when the display key is manipulated.
When the user manipulates the display key of this specific construction to display the setting of viewing prohibiting information, the image output means feeds a setting frame signal to the image display unit upon detecting the manipulation. Consequently, a setting frame indicating the current setting of RATING information is displayed on the display unit. This enables the user to visually recognize the current setting of RATING information.
With the program viewing regulation device of the invention, viewing prohibiting information can be set by the user through a facilitated procedure, i.e., only by depressing the manual key, for example, once. Furthermore, desired viewing prohibiting information can be set even if the user fails to understand the meanings of symbols representing the viewing prohibiting information. Additionally, the device reliably prohibits viewing of programs of the level contemplated by the user.